Known to the art are systems designed to generate and distribute energy, which are provided with a plurality of distinct energy installations or plants, designated hereinafter by the term “multi-source energy plants”, each of which comprises loads, one or more co/trigeneration energy systems, and a plurality of independent energy sources structured for exchange of thermal energy or electrical energy from and to the co/trigeneration energy systems themselves and/or the loads.
In particular, the energy sources typically comprise heat generators and/or generators of frigories designed to exchange flows of fluid, respectively, at high and low temperature with co/trigeneration energy systems, and static or rotary electrical generators, and/or electrical-distribution networks, and/or systems for generation of renewable energy of a photovoltaic and/or solar type capable of performing an exchange of the electrical energy with the co/trigenerator energy systems themselves.
Moreover known is the need to be able to manage in an optimal way the electrical and thermal energy exchanged between the co/trigeneration energy system and the different energy sources present within one and the same multi-source energy plant in order to obtain a maximization of the overall energy efficiency of the multi-source energy plant and at the same time enabling a reduction in the costs of production of the energy required thereby.
In the case in point, this need derives basically from the need to be able to control the co/trigeneration energy system in an intelligent way taking into account different conditions, such as, for example, the thermal and electrical requirement of the load, the cost of the fuel used by the co/trigeneration energy system, the energy costs associated to the energy sources present in the energy plant, the possible thermal and electrical accumulations of energy present in the plant, and the environmental costs regarding the quality of the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,033 A discloses a method of real time control of a plurality of power output apparatuses for providing a demanded quantity of desired output power which generally results in the generation of some undesired consequences, the undesired consequences of the combined power output apparatus being kept at or below a predetermined level. The undesired consequences include various emissions, high or inefficient costs.
EP 1,167,698 A discloses an integrated operation instructing system for operating power generation plants that is capable of operating gas turbine power generation plants in a highly efficient and economical manner.
DE 102 61 171 B3 discloses a installation having a number of combined power and heat generation plants for generation of thermal energy which is stored and generation of electrical current which is supplied to the mains current network, with detection of their remaining heat storage capacities, for selection and activation of the plants for which the heat storage capacity is not exhausted, in dependence on the current requirement.
US 2004/263116 A1 discloses an intelligent distributed energy storage system for demand side power management. It provides a system that can store electric energy close to the point of use or close to the distributed production for use when demanded by the users. These storage nodes can communicate with a central clearing entity to negotiate if the nodes should buy energy for storage, provide energy to the user above a given power level, or sell power back to the grid. The function will depend on the amount of energy stored in the node, the cost of the electric energy, the cost of the electric peak power, the price of resold electrical energy and power, plus the local usage.